Haynesworth charged in road incident

Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth has been charged with simple assault for an alleged road rage incident with another motorist on the Fairfax County Parkway in Reston, Fairfax police said.

Haynesworth, 29, has not been arrested but is planning to turn himself in next week, Officer Shelley Broderick said.

Haynesworth did not return text and phone messages left by Redskins beat reporter Jason Reid. But Haynesworth's agent told Reid there was no assault and the allegations were "ridiculous."

A Redskins executive said the team was unaware of the incident or the charge. "This is the first I'm hearing about this," Tony Wyllie, Redskins senior vice president, told Reid. "At this time, we need to gather information."

Wyllie and team owner Daniel M. Snyder are at the Super Bowl in Dallas.

The episode occurred Wednesday morning, and involved a 38-year-old man driving a 1994 Honda Civic and another driver, allegedly Haynesworth, both driving south on the Fairfax County Parkway, Broderick said. The driver of the Civic reportedly felt that a pickup truck following behind him was tailgating, and issued a "non-verbal hand gesture" to the pickup driver, Broderick said.

About 9:16 a.m., at the intersection with New Dominion Parkway, near the entrance to Reston Hospital Center, the two vehicles came to a stoplight. Broderick said the driver of the pickup truck emerged from his vehicle, had a brief exchange of words, and then struck the Civic driver.

She declined to be more specific about the circumstances of the assault.

Velazques told ESPN that after their vehicles jockeyed for road space, a person he recognized as Haynesworth got out of a Ford truck with Tennessee license plates. Velazques said Haynesworth came to the driver-side window of his car, and after Velazques rolled down his window, Haynesworth said to him twice, "You're not so tough now," and then punched him in the side of his nose, ESPN reported.

Velazques said he followed Haynesworth but lost him along the way. He told ESPN he called 911 and gave a statement to a Fairfax officer.

Fairfax Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Ian M. Rodway said an officer assigned to the incident compiled a photo lineup and showed it to the man, who identified Haynesworth as his assailant.

Velazques said he was treated at a local hospital, where it was determined he suffered a contusion to his nose but it was not broken.

Police could not obtain a misdemeanor warrant because an officer did not witness the incident. So on Thursday night, the Civic driver and the Fairfax officer went to a magistrate and obtained a warrant for simple assault, with the driver as the complainant. The warrant was not immediately available, and typically is not made public until the warrant is served, so the driver's name was not public record.

Broderick said police had been in contact with Haynesworth's lawyer, that Haynesworth was out of town and was making arrangements to surrender next week. Rodway said the charge was the equivalent of a traffic ticket, and that Haynesworth must merely sign a summons acknowledging he has received the charge, a court date will be set and he will not be booked into the county jail.

Simple assault in Virginia is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in a county jail and a $2,500 fine, though a maximum sentence is rarely imposed for altercations such as this unless the defendant has a lengthy prior record.

Haynesworth's agent, Chad Speck, said that "Albert has yet to speak to the authorities at all on this matter. So only one side of this story has been told at this point in time. If contacted by the authorities, Albert will certainly cooperate in any way. This man, who actually provoked the situation himself, recognized Albert and is now simply trying to turn it into his 15 minutes of fame and get, we can only assume, some money. Albert did not assault this man and looks forward to his day in court to refute these ridiculous allegations."

Haynesworth, who was suspended by the team for the final four games of the season for insubordination, has had previous troubles on the road. In December 2008, he pleaded guilty to driving 103 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 65 south of Nashville and was placed on 30 days probation. Four days after that plea, he was speeding on the same stretch of Interstate 65, in a 2008 black Ferrari, when he allegedly swerved across two lanes and slammed into another car, driving it into the concrete median.

The driver of the other car, Corey Edmondson, was seriously injured and needed a hip replacement. He has filed a civil suit against Haynesworth, which is pending. In July 2009, shortly after he had signed a $100 million contract with the Redskins making him one of the highest-paid defensive players in NFL history, Haynesworth pleaded no contest in Brentwood City Circuit Court to a reckless driving charge. He was placed on three months probation, ordered to perform 25 hours of community service, attend an eight-hour driving school and make a $5,000 contribution to an organization that provides counseling to emergency responders.

And in 2006, while a member of the Tennessee Titans, Haynesworth was charged and later cleared in a road rage incident that occurred near Interstate 40 in Cookeville, Tenn. A woman and her son-in-law claimed that Haynesworth, in a Ford F-650 pickup truck, tried to run them off the road as their vehicles crossed paths, and the pair traveled to two counties to take out warrants against Haynesworth. Haynesworth said he was the victim of the road rage, that he had tried to let the two cars pass him but they kept following him. Prosecutors in both counties investigated and dismissed all charges.

Haynesworth's temper also gained him notoriety on the football field in 2006. During a game against the Dallas Cowboys, an opposing lineman's helmet came off while he was on the ground, and Haynesworth stomped on the opponent's head twice with his cleats, opening up a wound which required 30 stitches. Haynesworth was ejected from the game and suspended without pay for five games, then the longest suspension in league history for an on-field incident.

Haynesworth also picked up a speeding ticket in Reston last month, court records show. He allegedly was driving a sport-utility vehicle, with Florida tags, 64 mph in a 45 mph zone on Baron Cameron Parkway at Lake Fairfax Drive in Reston on Jan. 4. The ticket was issued at 10:41 a.m., and has not been paid, with a court date set for next month.

This item has been updated to include reaction from Haynesworth's agent and Haynesworth's prior traffic charges.

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after walking over to his car, the assailant collapsed on the ground, apparently exhausted, and did not make any effort to move for approximately three traffic light cycles.

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after walking over to his car, the assailant collapsed on the ground, apparently exhausted, and did not make any effort to move for approximately three traffic light cycles.

Too funny. All you Redskins fans say that Albert is soft and lazy and would not get off his butt for anything. There you go - what do y'all think now? The judge is going to throw this case out so fast. Everybody around DC knows that fat Albert would could not move fast enough to get his fat butt out of a vehicle and over to another car to have an exchange of any sort with another driver, let alone strike him. He would have been winded by the time he got to the driver's side of the other car. This is case is closed.

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after walking over to his car, the assailant collapsed on the ground, apparently exhausted, and did not make any effort to move for approximately three traffic light cycles.

If this guy would seen Joe Blow walking towards him he probably would've rolled his windows up and sped off, but when he saw it was Big Al, well let us just say that he had $$$$$ signs is sparkling in his eyes. Just wish Big Al would've just let the finger go now.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaah.
Come one is anyone surprised? This is the same guy who stomped on a player without his helmet. He is a thug and if he weren't playing football would either be in jail or already dead.

I am consoled with the knowledge that he, like Allen Iverson and so many others, will be broke soon after he is out of football

Why do we even care? If that driver had given the Hawaiian "good luck sign" on the other side of the Potomac, someone would have offed him. He was probably texting or some crap and cruising about 10mph below the limit and pissing everyone off behind him. I go through that intersection daily and I am surprised there isn't more road rage there. Not defending whoever did it what to who, but I understand. Think twice before making hand gestures from your car at anyone around here. Maybe if people realize they aren't the only ones on the road around here, this stuff wouldn't happen so much.

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after walking over to his car, the assailant collapsed on the ground, apparently exhausted, and did not make any effort to move for approximately three traffic light cycles.

The driver of the Civic reportedly felt that a pickup truck following behind him was tailgating, and issued a "non-verbal hand gesture" to the pickup driver, Broderick said.
-----------------------------
And that I imagine that was "the finger"...

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after taking two steps towards his car, the assailant suffered an un-specified injury that prevented him from completing the walk. The assailant's agent instantaneously appeared in Broderick's passenger seat and struck Broderick in the face. Broderick awoke to find an invoice for (1) Haynesworth's full walk to the car, (2) the strike to the face, and (3) emotional damages totaling $100M.

Men. and we wonder why the world is screwed up? check the testosterone, fellas. flipping off someone is asking to be smacked. Given Haynesworth's weight, you're lucky he didn't just lay on you or your Civic. and Haynesworth? as inept off the field as he is on it.

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after walking over to his car, the assailant collapsed on the ground, apparently exhausted, and did not make any effort to move for approximately three traffic light cycles.

That was possibly the funniest post ever of all time!!! Buck_Wheaton--you are hilarious.

Hey look, a multimillionaire moron wants to punch me in the face, I'm going to let him. If all I have to do is flip him the bird, I'll take my pinheaded tiny ego and testosterone filled nuts to the bank.

According to Broderick, the Civic's driver noted that, after walking over to his car, the assailant collapsed on the ground, apparently exhausted, and did not make any effort to move for approximately three traffic light cycles.

Why are people defending Haynesworth and road rage violence? Flipping off = harmless.
Getting punched by a 350 lb dude = harmful.
Not to mention, Haynesworth has a history of aggressive and reckless driving. Benefit of the doubt goes to the Civic driver in my book.

Why are people defending Haynesworth and road rage violence? Flipping off = harmless.
Getting punched by a 350 lb dude = harmful.
Not to mention, Haynesworth has a history of aggressive and reckless driving. Benefit of the doubt goes to the Civic driver in my book.

Come on guys & girls, do you really think that if Big Al hit this guy in the face,( I was wondering what the civic driver punk A$$ passenger was doing while Albert was punching him in the face)Would he be able to talk with all his teeth smashed & broken in his mouth ?? ( P.S. Lets check the civic driver status to see if he's in this country legally ??)dryddoingig@ssAakicHodids (

Redskins executive said the team was unaware of the incident or the charge. "This is the first I'm hearing about this," Tony Wyllie, Redskins senior vice president, said in a phone interview with Redskins beat reporter Jason Reid. "At this time, we need to gather information."

By Tom Jackman | February 4, 2011; 10:49 AM ET

Tony Wyllie has been a little distracted working on another matter recently.

I'm not an Albert Haynesworth fan, but if the Civic driver thought he recognized him at all, you can trust and believe that he saw dollar signs like visions of lollipops dancing through his head! And if someone had just assaulted you, why would sit there through the next three traffic cycles instead of getting the heck out of Dodge? Please. This thing is soooo going nowhere. And rightfully so.

Come on guys & girls, do you really think that if Big Al hit this guy in the face,( I was wondering what the civic driver punk A$$ passenger was doing while Albert was punching him in the face)Would he be able to talk with all his teeth smashed & broken in his mouth ?? ( P.S. Lets check the civic driver status to see if he's in this country legally ??)

People, people, people...thanks for the entertainment on this friday afternoon. now let's get to the real deal - how many of you would see a guy weighing 350 lbs. in a pickup truck and give him the finger? Answer: none. I am wondering why this flipping people off is all of a sudden so prevalent, especially among those who just CANNOT drive. See, people want to talk, and text, and put on makeup and EVERYTHING ELSE except drive the vehicle. I have driven around montgomery county and we CONSTANTLY run into people who feel that they are in a phone booth!! Engaged in conversation like they are at home on the living room couch. I am not endorsing what he did, but i can certainly understand the frustration that he, along with so many countless others, feel when some idiot thinks it is more important to answer a text message than to move at the red light, yield before cutting you off, pay attention to signs, etc. and then give you the finger if you even blow the horn. Who is wrong in these situations? Personally, i feel the fatigue from driving around a bunch of people who would rather be talking than driving. I don't care if you don't value your own life, but try to put some value on all the other drivers around you. I would also believe that, unless this guy was some kind of rock, if haynesworth had "struck" him, he would have stayed "struck". Welcome to America...the place where cooler heads rarely prevail and everyone is out to "get paid". Notice who is flipping the finger at people. Then note where they come from. Enuff said.

I think Fat Albert deserves bad PR, wherever it comes from, but I'm also a bit skeptical of this story. At a minimum, I'd guess that the Civic-driver is more interested in a pay day than in seeing justice served. Haynesworth may not be very good at hitting NFL running backs any more but something tells me that if he really took out his "road rage" on this guy then Mr. Civic-driver would be in the hospital.

I don't blame the guy in the Civic for being afraid of an obviously overloaded pickup tailgating him. It's amazing that the pickups brakes held long enough to prevent Albert from rearending this guy. Everone keeps saying that Albert is a
350lb load: come on, it's been 6 months since he passed a "conditioning test"- he's got to be 420-430 by now.

I'm amazed at all the comments condemning the Civic guy. He should have let it go, sure. Maybe he was going 10 MPH under the speed limit, the article doesn't say. Or maybe he wasn't.

Have you never been tailgated by someone when you're already going 10 MPH over the speed limit? Fairfax county parkway drivers regularly exceed the posted speed limit by a lot outside of rush hour. Under those circumstances I'd give this guy a "non-verbal hand gesture" too, whether he's 350 lbs or not.

Courts will decide what happened, however, he had no business getting out of his truck in the first place. Wish It was me as I would have given him a nice Marine Corps butt whipping for ripping me off last year as a Redskins Fan............LOL

He stays in DC in January and February, but won't come up here in May or June? this whole circus is just crazy.

Don't know the situation but it seems odd to me that if haynesworth hit him, he should do some obvious damage. We've seen Haynesworth stomp a guys head. He does not seem like the one punch and walk away type. The dude is elementary school bully that never progressed to being a high school tough guy. ES bullies are just big, and tend to quit when they don't get their way or are faced with a challenge back at them.

Who doesn't have road rage on the FCP? This might be an outrageous display of normalcy for Albert. I love sitting at stoplights for 3 people that refuse to go right to turn left along with the 300 cars trying to get home. Nothing says "affluent county" than 1970's traffic management technology and algorithms.

You know, given our ownership antics, it would not surprise me to learn shortly that "the Danny" was hiring people to provoke altercations with Haynesworth, so that the leagues suspends him and the Redskins do not have to pay him... but retain his rights.

I also find it hard to believe this happened, because I don't think Albert could get out of a vehicle, and walk the distance between two vehicles at a stop light before the light changed. Seriously, when did we see any evidence of that in the regular season?

I'm bothered by the agent's statements. He calls the charges ridiculous but was he there? He can hardly be considered objective. Then there's the attack on the accuser saying he's only out for 15 minutes of fame. Strikes me as a cheap attack without any evidence to support the assertion. Had he even spoken w/the accuser. How would the accuser know who was in the pickup behind him?
I'll wait for all the facts to be presented before drawing a conclusion about what Mr. Haynesworth did or didn't do. I will conclude that his agent is a self-serving jerk.

From the comments, it's pretty clear which commenters ride someone's butt in traffic and which one's don't. I despise such aggressive driving, but you won't find me shooting the bird. Chances are, the gutless guy behind me is also packing heat.

tradeczar - You're deriving these folks of one of their great pleasures! I wholeheartedly believe that the aggressive bungholes whom I flip off thrive upon the affirmation it gives them that they actually matter in the scheme of life.

No matter how irritated you might be if you get voted "Number One" in Texas, do not get out the car and go over to try to punch somebody in the nose. You are likely to get shot and the shooter will be legally in the right.

Fat Albert will discover like Iverson that when you are no longer playing or worth anything to a team your 'protection' goes with it. Albert should also understand that outside of the NFL nobody pays the money.

Albert had best start saving up the money because he will need every penny.

Benson wrote:
"The guy must have been driving like a pinhead"... Gee, I wonder where this moron spends most of his time? Watch the Factor much? Plus, in his 5 posts, the same indictment, "the clown, pipsqueak", and the defining misspelled "weenises" (weenie + penis maybe)! Wow, you really need to go to the mirror and see that you fit the profile of the angry, idiotic, racist and humorless weenises Foxwatcher. Get a life, in fact, take tojo45 with you for a cup of steaming cup of vile. You puke.

If it is that easy anyone of you could be charged because someone can describe your car and tag number from seeing you on the road.

As much as I don't like the skins... please Washington Post... provide more information with the story.

Or... did this suddenly come to light because Daniel Snyder is suing Washington Newspapers now. LOL!!!

Any witnesses? If not this case will be thrown out of court.

Stick to your day job as you know nothing about Virginia law. A person may be convicted of assault in Virginia based on the uncorroborated testimony of the alleged victim. What we don't know is if the police got any pictures of the alleged victim's face. Also, if the guy had a driver's license, he's here legally. You can't get a VA driver's license without a birth certificate, social security card or a government issued ID like a passport or a green card. Since there's no mention of the alleged victim being cited, he clearly had a valid driver's license. Even if he's not convicted, he may still have to deal with Roger Gooddell, like Big Ben did. Finally, more kudos for Buck_Wheaton.

I'm sorry, but was the "nonverbal hand gesture" the one Don Breaux used to use for 60 X Outside? Or was it Something Else...?

IIIIIIIiiiiiii get it...last year was the conditioning drill to get him in physical shape to play. Now it's the mental drill to build up the Opponent Hatred. "Albert...HE'S BLOCKING YOU. BLOCKING YOU. You know he's about to GIVE YOU THE FINGER, ALBERT..."

Benson wrote:
"The guy must have been driving like a pinhead"... Gee, I wonder where this moron spends most of his time? Watch the Factor much? Plus, in his 5 posts, the same indictment, "the clown, pipsqueak", and the defining misspelled "weenises" (weenie + penis maybe)! Wow, you really need to go to the mirror and see that you fit the profile of the angry, idiotic, racist and humorless weenises Foxwatcher. Get a life, in fact, take tojo45 with you for a cup of steaming cup of vile. You puke.

Posted by: cameracowboy

---------------------------

Racist?

I was just making the point that if you mess with people in traffic, don't be surprised if they get mad at you.

I've yet to read about one case of road rage where both drivers weren't guilty of juvenile behavior, this one included.

Maybe you should ease up on the name-calling yourself -- you resemble those haters who call other people haters. From your comments, it seems that you miss Keith Olbermann.

Not being an eye witness I can't say he is guilty, but taking in consideration his previous offenses, he probably is. Haynesworth has some anger management issues and he obviously does not care what anyone thinks. His behavior is also indicative of someone who feels he is above the law. His family, agent, friends and whoever else kisses his a** should be willing to share the blame with him (and rightly so) when his behavior escalates and someone is seriously hurt or killed as a result of his actions. He needs to be knocked off his throne. Maybe a financial hit in a lawsuit that hurts his pocket will be a wake up call. Better yet, maybe his team waking up to the fact that he isn't the only player of his caliber and replacing him with a real man that appreciates his God given talent is just what needs to be done. Haynesworth has no respect for anyone.

Not being an eye witness I can't say he is guilty, but taking in consideration his previous offenses, he probably is. Haynesworth has some anger management issues and he obviously does not care what anyone thinks. His behavior is also indicative of someone who feels he is above the law. His family, agent, friends and whoever else kisses his a** should be willing to share the blame with him (and rightly so) when his behavior escalates and someone is seriously hurt or killed as a result of his actions. He needs to be knocked off his throne. Maybe a financial hit in a lawsuit that hurts his pocket will be a wake up call. Better yet, maybe his team waking up to the fact that he isn't the only player of his caliber and replacing him with a real man that appreciates his God given talent is just what needs to be done. Haynesworth has no respect for anyone.

Not being an eye witness I can't say he is guilty, but taking in consideration his previous offenses, he probably is. Haynesworth has some anger management issues and he obviously does not care what anyone thinks. His behavior is also indicative of someone who feels he is above the law. His family, agent, friends and whoever else kisses his a** should be willing to share the blame with him (and rightly so) when his behavior escalates and someone is seriously hurt or killed as a result of his actions. He needs to be knocked off his throne. Maybe a financial hit in a lawsuit that hurts his pocket will be a wake up call. Better yet, maybe his team waking up to the fact that he isn't the only player of his caliber and replacing him with a real man that appreciates his God given talent is just what needs to be done. Haynesworth has no respect for anyone.

I live in Reston Town Center in the building right next to the high-rise Haynesworth lives in and I've seen him nearly run down pedestrians and other drivers a number of times. I've seen him run other cars off the road on Sunset Hills Blvd and I've seen him completely run stop signs through the middle of town center while families with little children were crossing the street. This guy shouldn't have a license and should only be allowed to drive a segway (which he also rides around reston town center).

If you are going to give the finger or curse somebody from the safety of your car, you better go thru that red light or prepare to meet the recipient of your foolish gesture. I'm with Albert on his one.

Oh, give me a break. You're an infamous 350-pound NFL defensive lineman with a $100M contract. And you allow yourself to get jacked up by some nobody in a broken-down 16 year-old Civic? Why not just go around with a bulls eye pinned to your pants seat that says, "kick me?"

What a moron. I hope that the guy in the Civic gets rich. He's a lot smarter than both Fat Albert and the Toxic Shrimp combined.

This man is sick! He needs to receive treament before he is allowed to be part of any football team.. Some body is going to be killed or badly injured and then we will hear the "experts" try to explain their part in a very predictable event. Haynesworth needs medical care and prolonged suspension. This is no joke.

This man is sick! He needs to receive treament before he is allowed to be part of any football team.. Some body is going to be killed or badly injured and then we will hear the "experts" try to explain their part in a very predictable event. Haynesworth needs medical care and prolonged suspension. This is no joke.

This man is sick! He needs to receive treament before he is allowed to be part of any football team.. Some body is going to be killed or badly injured and then we will hear the "experts" try to explain their part in a very predictable event. Haynesworth needs medical care and prolonged suspension. This is no joke.

"This man, who actually provoked the situation himself, recognized Albert and is now simply trying to turn it into his 15 minutes of fame..."

First the attorney said he didn't know anything about the incident but he knows the other guy provoked Haysworth. All together now say SPIN. Have you seen Haysworth? What idiot would provoke him to get into a fight? Oh and although I'm not a lawyer I think punching a guy in the face while the guy is sitting in his car would qualify as an assault. Physical assualt triumps hand gestures every time.

PLEEZ...This is one low class person that gave someone the finger getting punched in the face by another low class person. Simple as that. I agree with the person that wrote: "This is the same guy who stomped on a player without his helmet. He is a thug and if he weren't playing football would either be in jail or already dead." I'm appalled that we make people like him a hero and celebrity. That's just one of the messed up things about our society today. He should be charged for the assault like anyone else! And based on his history, he's a violent, aggressive person.

Flipping the bird is perfectly legal here. Maybe not smart, considering the number of angry drivers around here who may have firearms concealed in the glove compartment, but perfectly legal. I flipped off a tailgater myself on the way home today. There's nothing more annoying than already going 70 in a 55 and having some jerk riding up your bumper.

What I want to know is why the Civic driver rolled down the window when Haynesworth came up to the car. That was dumb. If he wants to punch you, make him go through the glass.

So Albert's attorney thinks this is someone after easy money? hahahahahahaha
I guess since he knows Albert he would know the signs of that!
What, Albert thinks is he the only one who wants money for nothing?!

So Albert's attorney thinks this is someone after easy money? hahahahahahaha
I guess since he knows Albert he would know the signs of that!
What, Albert thinks is he the only one who wants money for nothing?!

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